Marking pencils



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3,077,183 MARKING PENCKLS Walter- B. Spatz, 11182 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 4%, Calif.

Original application Aug. 29, 1955, Ser. No. 530,993, new Patent No. 2,941,568, dated June 21, 196i]. Divided and this application Oct. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 847,581

1 Claim. (Cl. ran-15 The present invention relates to marking pencils, and more particularly to the sharpener portions thereof.

This application is a division or" my application for Marking Pencil, Serial No. 530,993, filed August 29, 1955, now Patent No. 2,941,598, issued June 21, 1960.

In the sharpening of pencils, and especially those made of relatively soft materials, such as eyebrow pencils, rotatable sharpeners are used. However, they have heretofore tended to clog, which obviously interferes with their ability to produce a sharp point on the pencil whenever desired.

An. object of the present invention is to provide a marking pencil embodying a sharpener adapted to be rotated to cut a conical point on a pencil, in which the sharpener does not clog or plug with pencil cuttings or particles, but, instead, remains in a substantially clean state.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marking pencil embodying a conical sharpener adapted to be rotated to cut a conical point on a pencil, in which the cuttings and other particles can move freely through the smaller end of the sharpener and drop without restriction from the region of the sharpener, thereby avoiding interference with the sharpener and insuring its retention in a comparatively clean state, capable of continued efiicient use to cut and renew the pencil point.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of a form in which it may be embodied. This form is shown in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. It will now be described in detail, for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that such detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claim.

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged longitudinal section through my pencil pointer, certain parts being shown in elevation for clarity;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view showing certain components of the device;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the key;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of the latching spring and pusher rod combination;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on line 6--6 of FIGS. 1 and 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an irregular section on line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a partial plan View taken on line 99 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a section taken on line 1tl10 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 1111 of FIGS. 1 and 12, looking into the cutter from the rear thereof;

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 1212 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a section taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view taken on line 1414 of FIG. 12.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, the pencil case 20 comprises an elongated hollow barrel 22 open at one end 24, and over which is adapted to be positioned a removable cap 26 having a sharpening means or pointer 28 mounted therein- A nose or sleeve 3%, see FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10, is mounted at the forward open end of the barrel 22 by inserting the rear portion 44 of the nose piece or supporting member into the barrel, the bore 38 of the barrel being provided with a rib 32 which engages a groove 34 in the nose piece to hold the same in fixed axial position in the barrel bore. The bore 38 of the barrel also carries a pair of diametrically opposed lugs 40 on the inner periphery thereof, the lugs mating with diametrically opposed longitudinal slots 42 on the rear portion 44 to prevent rotary motion of the nose piece 30.

The nose piece or supporting member 30 comprises an enlarged outwardly tapering forward portion 50, an intermediate flange 52 and the rear portion 44. Portion 44 (see FIGS. 7, 8 and 10) has a lower longitudinally extending groove 54 therein and an upper longitudinal groove 56. The upper portion of flange 52 (see FIG. 2) is cut back to form a narrow flange 58 and a pair of spaced lugs 66 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) are positioned on the top of the nose piece and separated a short distance from the upper flange 58. The nose piece or supporting member 34'} has an internal bore '62 extending from end to end of said nose piece or sleeve. The cross section of the bore is non-circular or pentagonal, as indicated in FIGS. 8 and 10, with straight sides 64. The front portion 50 0f the nose piece is threaded as at 66 to receive cap 26.

A pencil support or pusher rod 63 is mounted axially in the barrel 22, and is supported for axial movement therein by positioning one end 69 of the rod in a pocket '70 formed at the closed narrow end 71 of the barrel. The rod 68 is cylindrical and is received within the pentagonal bore 62 of nose piece 30. The forward end 72 of the pusher rod is received in bore 62 with sufficient clearance to permit axial displacement of the rod within said bore. A pencil or crayon 73 having a non-circular or pentagonal cross section is matingly received within bore 62 so as to permit axial movement of the pencil in the bore. The flat end of the pencil abuts the end 72 of the pusher rod as at 75. It is seen that while the crayon 73 is slidable longitudinally in the bore 62 of the nose piece 30, the mating pentagonal or non-circular surfaces of the crayon with said bore prevents rotary motion of the crayon. A compression spring 74 is seated in pocket about the end 69 of the pusher rod, the spring abutting a flange 76 on the rod and normally urging the rod and the pencil forward, to bring the point 78 of the pencil into operative engagement with the pointer 28.

The pusher rod68 is provided with a releasable latching mechanism designated generally by the numeral 79, and comprising a U-shaped latching spring 80, note particularly FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, having one leg 82 longer and wider than the other leg 84', and an intermediate portion 86 bent at an acute angle somewhat less than 90' degrees to leg 82, and at an obtuse angle somewhat greater than 90 degrees to leg 84. The intermediate portion 86 is enlarged to provide an aperture 88 therein to receive the pusher rod 68, sufficient clearance being provided to permit the rod to move axially through said aperture with respect to portion 86 of the spring 80.

Leg 82 of spring is positioned in the upper groove 56 formed in portion 44 of nose piece 30, and the outer end of the spring leg 82 is provided with ears 90 which are positioned between lugs 60 of nose piece 30, and the flange 58 (see particularly FIGS. 7, 8 and 9), to secure leg 82 of the U-spring in position to prevent axial movement of leg 82. The outer edges of spring leg 82 at its junction 91 with the intermediate spring portion 86 are in abutting relation at 93 with the wall of bore 38 of the barrel, thus preventing displacement of spring leg 82 upwardly as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7. Leg 84 of spring 30 is positioned in the lower groove 54 of the nose piece 30, and the outer end of leg 84 is urged at 92 into abutting contact with a key 94. The key (see FIG. 4) has a large base portion 95 which carries a shallow step member 96 of a width and length shorter than the width and length of base portion 95. The base portion of the key slides in the lowergroove or slot 54 in portion 44 of the nose piece =30, and the step member 96 slides in a shallow groove '97 of nose portion 44, the latter groove communieating with groove 54. The free end of the leg 84 of spring 80 rides at the upper end '98 of groove 54 in front of key 94, and the provision of the step member 96 on the key, which occupies groove 97, prevents the end of spring leg 84 from jamming into groove 97 between the key and the nose piece. The base portion 95 of the key is provided with an end portion 99, a shallow stepped end portion 101 and an intermediate notch 103 permitting the key to slide over the rib 32 on the wall of the barrel bore 38. The shoulder '99 on the end portion 99 of the key (see FIG. 7) limits longitudinal motion of the key.

The intermediate portion 86 of spring 80 extends beyond the rear portion of nose piece 30. When the spring 80 is in normal position, the opposite peripheral edge portions 98 of the aperture 88 in the central portion 86 of the latching spring (see particularly FIGS. 5 and 6) abut the adjacent peripheral portions 109 of the pusher rod 68, causing a binding action between these contacting surfaces of the rod and spring, and holding the rod 68 in latched position to prevent axial movement thereof under the action of coil spring 74.

However, when the key 94 is urged to the right as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7, the leg 84 of the spring 80 is pushed forward, causing the spring 30 to flex in a direction to rotate the intermediate portion 86 of the spring, as seen in FIGS. '1, 5 and 7, counterclockwise about 91 as a fulcrum point, thus freeing the surfaces 98 and 100 from contact with each other, and unlatching the pusher rod. from its fixed position with respect to spring portion 86 and permitting the pusher rod 68 to move freely in an axial direction through the aperture 88 in the central portion 86pf said spring. A ring 102 is press fitted about flanges 52 and 58, and about the outwardly extending portion 99 of key 94, thus covering the exposed portion of the key extending beyond the open end 24 of the barrel, and preventing accidental actuation of the key by the fingers while handling the case.

Cap 26 containing the pointer 28 has internal threads 104 which mate with the external threads 66 provided on the forward portion 5.0 of the nose piece 60, providing a cam interconnection for securing the cap to the nose piece and over the open end 24 of the barrel 22. When the cap is screwed onto the nose piece, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7, a flanged endportion 106 of cap 26 passes under ring 102 and makes contact with the key 94, urging it to the right and unlatching the latch spring 80 as described above, permitting coil spring 74 to urge the pusher rod 68 and the pencil or crayon 7G to the left, and thus urging faces 115 of a wedge 1 16 for-med integrally with the cone,

The edge 114 of the wedge forms a cutter edge and protrudes a short distance as at 118 into the interior of the hollow cone beyond the interior conical surface 119 of the cone. The truncated cone is apertured at 120' in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cone, the wedge 116 extending upward beyond said plane and through said aperture to a point 121. Apex 123- of the cone (see FIG. 12) 1s eccentric of the axis Y of the barrel and of the crayon positioned in said barrel, and the axis X of the cone is tilted about one degree to the Y axis. The wedge 116 is in the shape of a fru-stum of an oblique pyramid, i.e. the triangular cross section of the wedge 116 increases in area from the outer end thereof towards the cone and intersects the cone to produce a flat inner surface 121' adjacent the inner surface 119, and the protruding cutting edge 114 at the face of the slot. The Wedge 116 also gives mass and rigidity to the cutter permitting the rest of the cone to be of light construction.

It is thus seen that as the cap is rotated and screwed onto the nose piece 30, the pointer and cone 11d thereof are also rotated to sharpen the point 78 of the crayon as it is urged into the cone by the pusher rod 68 under the action of spring 74, forming a conical point 78 on the pencil or crayon. During this sharpening period, because of the eccentricity of the apex of the cone and the tilting of the axis of the cone with respect to the axis of the barrel and the pencil or crayon 73, a load is exerted downwardly against the crayon, as viewed in ,FIGS. 1, 7 and 12, to press the pencil 73 near the base of the conical point against the adjacent lower section of the cone 110 in nose piece 31). This action tends to hold the pencil or crayon firmly within the cone to prevent excessive bending load on the pointed end and to prevent the crayon breaking at this weakened section.

Due to the tilting of the axis X of the cone 110 and the position of the cutter edge 114, the region 110' where contact is made with the crayon is not necessarily diametrically opposite to the cutter 114. As the cutter is rotated it bites into the crayon to cut a chip thus introducing a lateral force on the crayon. Since the cutter edge 114 travels around the crayon the cutter tends to cause a circular wobble of the crayon. The degree of wobble is materially reduced from that which would be produced by the cutter if mounted in a cone which was axially coincident with the crayon and with a cutter protruding into the interior of cone to the depth cut desired. I, however, materially reduce this degree of wobble by radially displacing the apex of the cone from the axis of the barrel and crayon, as shown in FIG. 12. The extent to which the apex is displaced controls the degree to which the wobble is reduced. In a practical observation I have found that a displacement of approximately half the depth of cut produces optimum results in that it minimizes the degree of wobble and the efiiciency of cut is maintained.

The slot 112 of the pointer cone 110 is made narrow, and is of a dimension such that it is sufliciently large to permit chips cut from the pencil to pass into the cap 26, but is small enough to prevent these chips from dropping back into the cone 110. It is to be noted that the frusto-conical member 110 terminates at its plane of truncation and that the only pointer portion extending forwardly beyond the plane of truncation is the cutter wedge 116, which is of comparatively small arcuate extent. As a result, the forward end of the aperture terminates substantially at the plane of truncation, communicating freely and directly with the interior of the surrounding cap, enabling relatively small particles of crayon, dust, debris, and the like, to pass easily out of the forward end of the aperture, for lateral dropping into the cap. The major portion of the cuttings pass laterally out of the conical member 110 through the slot 112, the termination of the member 110 at its plane of truncation allowing the small particles to move readily out of the end of the opening 120 and preventing their packing in the interior of the member 110. It is seen that except for the slot 112 and aperture 120, there is no communication between the interior of the cap 26 and the exterior of the cap, the outer end of which is provided with a removable closure 122 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

The closure 122 has a bore 124 and comprises an enlarged closed cylindrical end portion 126 and an open end portion 128 providing communication between the interior of the cap and the bore 124. Between end portions 126 and 123 is a stepped shoulder 130 which mates with the stepped end of the cap 26, and the end portion 128 of the closure 122 has a pair of diametrically opposed pins 134 thereon, which are adapted to slide in diametrically opposed slots 136 positioned on the inner wall at the end of cap 26 (see also FIG. 3), when the closure is fitted onto the cap, with the end portion 128 of the closure sliding into the end of the cap as seen in FIG. 1. When the stepped shoulders 130 and 132 of the closure and cap are in abutting relation, the pins 134 will have moved to the right end of slot-s 136, as seen in FIG. 1, and rotation of the clo sure will lock the closure onto the cap by abutment of the pins with the shoulder 138 on the inner surface of the cap 26.

When the cap 26 is unscrewed from the nose piece 30 following the sharpening operation, the intermediate portion 86 of latching spring 80 will be rotated clockwise about fulcrum point 91 of the spring, urging leg 34 of the latching spring and the key 94 to the left as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 7, latching the pusher rod 68 so that it is restrained against outward movement as described above. The removal of the cap 26 causes the pointer 28 to impart a frictional drag on the crayon '73, rotating it so as to force its apices at the intersections of the plane surfaces thereof against the fiat surfaces of the mating pentagonal bore 62, to produce a Wedging action tending to hold the crayon in the bore after the cap is removed. Also, when the cap is entirely removed, the crayon is further restrained against axial movement out of the pencil case by adhesive tension at 75 between the flat end of the tacky crayon and the abutting end of pusher rod 68.

The crayon, following the removal of the cap, protrudes a substantial distance beyond the forward portion 5d of nose piece 3%, as indicated particularly in FIG. 12, facilitating manipulation of the crayon in use. It is further noted that the key 94 and the latch spring 8% are completely covered by my closure ring 102, and cannot be operated except by the cap 26, thus protecting against accidental release of the latch while the crayon is used as an eyebrow pencil, avoiding injury to the eye by ejection of the crayon. The crayon is thus maintained in proper position in the pencil case during use and is prevented from shooting out of the case by my novel latching mechanism.

The structural components of my device can be constructed of any suitable material such as metal or plastic. For example, case 20, cap 26, nose piece 30, and key 94, as well as other elements of my device can be conveniently formed of molded plastic.

The inventor claims:

In a marking pencil: a pencil; a barrel having passage means for supporting said pencil therein, said means having a larger cross-section than said pencil to permit lateral shifting of said pencil therein; a hollow truncated conical rigid member rotatable on said barrel receiving the forward portion of said pencil in said passage means, the forward end of said member terminating in the plane of truncation to provide a terminal central opening in said member through which the pointed portion of the pencil can extend forwardly beyond said end; a support continuous about the axis of said member integral with the rearward portion of said member and extending rearwardly therefrom; said support and the rear portion of said member being substantially greater in internal diameter than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the pencil to enable the pencil to engage the tapered surface of said conical member and center itself therein, the pencil being free from lateral support by said support and member rearwardly of the tapered surface of said member; said member having an elongate opening in its side; a single cutter inclined to the axis of said member and secured to said member at one side of said opening and extending into said member to sharpen said pencil disposed in said member, said cutter projecting forwardly of said forward end of said member substantially to the axis of said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 193,545 Park July 24, 1877 578,577 Mosely Mar. 9, 1897 2,519,625 Becker Aug. 22, 1950 2,565,715 Becker Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 55,436 Germany Mar. 11, 1891 

